Everything is Far Away

Awhile ago someone told me not to tell anyone I lived in South Dallas.  I'm sure this person did not intend the comment to be as snooty as it sounds, but it did leave me a little ashamed about where I live.  After that comment I become prone to describe my end of town by its proximity to one of the nearby suburbs, omitting the phrase "South Dallas".  The truth is I do live in South Dallas and these days I'll mention the suburbs only to clarify that I don't live in one of the revitalized trendy parts.  Our neighborhood is decidedly lower middle class, with lots of trash on the street, and the occasional sounds of gunfire in the air. 

I am not ashamed - We like it.  

Our house is a perfect size with a great backyard, and our neighbors are friendly and courteous (aside from the occasional ridiculously loud party).   We are close to a lake, hiking trails, and a few good grocery stores and restaurants.  

When it comes to having fun; however, sometimes I do feel like I am on the wrong end of town.  It feels like everything is far away.  We can be comfortably entertained and fed on our end for a short period of time - but to enjoy the ethnic restaurants, book stores, clothing stores, kid events, etc. that we love, a 1/2 hour drive (at a minimum) is in order.  

Maybe I am still just not used to living in a large metropolitan area - or, maybe there is just too much sprawl in DFW.  I would love to live where I could just walk everywhere,  I'm sure everyone has some sort of fantasy to be close to everything they love, isn't that the reason for all those planned communities?  Ultimately, I love it here...I love all the variety.  For dinner, we could have everything from Texas barbecue to Ethiopian cuisine, there are festivals and events, arts and music of every distinction.  We may have to drive a lot, but there is never a shortage of something to see or do.